First Encounters
by The Marauders
Summary: A stand-alone on first impressions: An AU where Lina and Gourry first meet Zel while eating. Done as more of a project than anything else. Rated PG for some violence ^_^ By Moony


Author's note, please read:  A lot of people don't get that my stand alones are. . . stand alones!  Seriously!   I don't continue them, they're one-parters!  No updates, zippo!  Anyway, this is one of those stand alones.  In French class last year we were reading Les Miserables and we were charged with the task of writing about a first encounter, like the one between Cosette and Marius.  I never ended up writing the assignment because it's French and I got lazy, but I did write this in English.  And I'm serious, folks – it's a stand -alone.  ^_^;;

Disclaimer:  I don't own Slayers, yada yada yada, blah blah blah. . . 

First Encounters 

By Moony

            I watched him curiously.  I'd been sitting in the run-down inn that resided on the side of a barely-traveled road while eating my supper at a table in the back; my dumb, swordsman companion trying to fight me off to get to the last pork chop.  I'd had to cast a weak fireball to keep him in line, but he won out eventually as a figure in the corner caught my attention, distracting me from defending my meal.  

My reputation as a powerful sorceress had reached even the ears of the secluded smugglers here, and they'd left my blond comrade and I alone.  The man I studied, however, was not as fortunate, and I watched in interest as a massive bandit with grizzled black hair stood over him.

"Hey, buddy."  The man's stomach rolled as he spoke, rippling fat causing my appetite to consider taking a vacation.  I reached back to the table and grabbed a drumstick, munching away in order to keep my stomach content.  I leaned forward in my seat, brushing a strand of hair away from my eyes as I chewed pensively.  The bandit's victim's only reply was to glance up, his oddly shinning violet hair sticking out sharply from beneath his sand-coloured hood.  His arms were folded stiffly across the ruby that clasped his cloak to his off-white tunic, and brilliant sapphire eyes shone out from beneath his violet quills.  He didn't answer the villain's "greeting", but he acknowledged the other's presence.

"Got any cash?"  The thief asked, his eyes wide and his face slack in what can only be assumed was an attempt to look innocent.  He failed, miserably.   The man looked up at him for a moment before turning back to the mug that rested on the table before him, reaching for it and bringing it up underneath his hood to take a sip.  The bandit's brow furrowed and his mouth twisted as he reached forward and clasped the cloaked man's gold purse, but that was all he was given time to do.  In a flash of beige, the mug was down on the table and the silent man grabbed the massive bandit's arm, whipping it around so that a loud _SNAP! _shot through the room.  At the first sign of trouble, the conversation that had been buzzing around the tables dropped dead silent, the only sounds coming from the bandit himself and the obnoxious chewing from my blond companion.  The shuffle had taken less than a second and after that last dreadful sound, the silence seemed deafening.  The bandit's face went stark white; sweat beading up on his forehead as his worried eyes caught the odd angle at which his arm was now hanging.

"My. . . my arm. . ."  He whimpered, his voice cracking.  

            "Better leave before I break your other one."  A deep, silky voice replied from beneath the sandy hood.  The man hesitated for a moment, before reaching up with his gloved hands to pull back his hood, revealing a blue-tinted face.  

            I felt my heart stop as the thief screamed, running towards the door, and in my stunned shock, I subconsciously reached for the fat purse that jangled at his side, snatching it has he ran past me.   He was soon followed by the rest of the inn's occupants, their screams distracting me and keeping me from lifting more than two wallets off the passersby.

            When the inn was all but empty, the man – the chimera – sighed heavily, taking a seat at his table and continuing to sip at his cup of coffee.   The swordsman at my side opened his mouth to comment, and as I knew that it would be a ludicrous remark, dripping with stupidity, I silenced him prematurely with a swift kick to his knee.  I studied the chimera, his smooth blue skin sprinkled with green pebbles that were in clusters about his face.  I realized that the sharp glint in his eyes was probably due to the fact that they actually were sapphires.  His steel hair hung down over his face, his eyelids closed as he calmly drank from his mug.  

            I rose, going over to sit next to him, and he looked up, his eyes widening in mild surprise.  I didn't blame him.  He'd just frightened away a room full of bandits and a _beautiful _16-year-old girl with a body built like a pixie just sat down next to him.   He must be having a field day, thanking the Lord of Nightmares for his fortune!  Lucky guy. . . 

"You aren't afraid of a monstrous demon?"  He asked, quietly.  The last part of his sentence was said with a slight bitter and mocking tone.  I shrugged.

            "No, and neither would a lot of people if you just stopped breaking arms like that."  I cocked my head, smiling smugly.  He stared back evenly, sending shivers down my spine at the intensity of his gaze, but he broke it off, collecting his cloak and sword and heading towards the door.

            "Goodbye."  He said, coolly eyeing my idiotic companion, whose mouth was full of the local foods.

            "We'll meet again!"  I called after him, though he did not reply.  He closed the door, not even sparing me a backwards glance.  I shook my head, returning to my table to finish off the last of the meal before Gourry – the stupid blond I traveled with – ate the rest of it.

            "Nice guy, Lina."  Gourry's jovial voice managed between mouthfuls.  I smiled.

            "Yeah, nice guy."


End file.
